Machines such as off-highway haul trucks, motor graders, snow plows, and other types of heavy equipment are used to perform a variety of tasks. Some of these tasks involve carrying or pushing large, awkward, loose, and heavy loads up steep inclines or along rough or poorly marked haul roads. Because of the size and momentum of the machines and because of poor visibility, these tasks can be difficult for a human operator alone to complete effectively.
To help guide the machines safely and efficiently along the haul roads, some machines are equipped with sensors, for example, RADAR sensors, SONAR sensors, LIDAR sensors, IR and non-IR cameras, and other similar sensors. These sensors generate signals used to create terrain maps of travel areas in front of the machines, the maps showing roadway surfaces and locations of different objects. The sensors are often associated with a visual display and/or a guidance system of the machine such that control over machine maneuvering may be enhanced or even automated with the terrain maps.
An exemplary object detection system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,586 (the '586 patent) issued to Grage et al. on May 11, 1993. Specifically, the '586 patent describes an arrangement for recognizing objects for pilots of low-flying aircraft. The arrangement includes an array of semiconductor laser diodes and a receiver that work together according to the laser radar principle. The laser diodes operate as a pulsed radiation source to scan a field of view of the aircraft. The receiver receives the pulsed radiation and generates a corresponding course grid of an environment of the aircraft, the grid having a pattern established like a mesh network that is displayed inside a cockpit of the aircraft. An operator of the aircraft may then use the displayed network to recognize and avoid objects such as overhead lines, wire cables, and pylons.
Although the arrangement of the '586 patent may help to improve machine control, it may be less than optimal. In particular, the course grid produced by the arrangement may provide insufficient focus on critical areas in a machine's travel path. In addition, the arrangement may not be applicable to operations where other similarly-equipped machines may be operating nearby.
The disclosed object detection system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.